I sat thinking today about how some words are more enjoyable to say than others. The majority of the words we use are simply tools that get the job done and don’t actually affect us in any kind of personal way. But then there are those wonderful words that literally tingle on our tongue when we speak them. And sometimes – well, if you’re a little quirky, as I am – they give us so much pleasure when we say them that we look for more opportunities – even create opportunities – to speak them out of our mouths.
I’m that way about writing as well. If a word sounds delightful to me in its spoken form, then I will often use it in a story so that my characters can “say” those words.
And certainly the lists of words that give us pleasure are probably too numerous to count. Each of us has a unique palate that determines which words taste delicious on our tongue and which ones are less than satisfying. So as I was meditating on this fact today, I decided that I would just start jotting down the first 25 words that I could think of that I particularly enjoy saying out loud.
There are myriads more, I’m sure, but these 25 are words that I feel I could roll around on my tongue and repeat multiple times a day and never tire of their sound. Some of them are enjoyable because they are melodious and soothing – others because they have a brisk, crisp sound that sharpens my word palate the way a sip of tangy sweet lemonade does my food palate.
And, naturally, once my list was made, I felt it was only right that I share it with my blogging family. Remember that the meanings of these words have nothing to do with their inclusion in the list. It’s just the sound that they make that gives me pleasure. I’ve listed these 25 words in alphabetical order, but that does not mean that some are more enjoyable than others. They all fall just about the same place on my satisfaction meter – which is at the top – or very close to it.
25 Words That I Find Particularly Delightful To Speak Aloud
Algonquin
Beatrice
Cacophony
Chattanooga
Delineate
Ecclesiastical
Epiphany
Ethereal
Extraordinarily
Finite
Hadassah
Indelibly
Juliet
Kamikaze
Kate
Ludicrous
Monumental
Porcupine
Quagmire
Simeon
Succulent
Symposium
Terrestrial
Unilateral
Zaire
I looked over the list to see if I could find any patterns, but I saw only two. The first has to do with the letter “L.” Twelve of the 25 words have the “L” sound as a primary sound. Then I also noticed that eight of the words have a hard “K” sound. Don’t know if that means anything in particular. I was aware that I am fond of the hard “K” sound, but I had no idea at all that I was partial to “L.” Hmmm.
Anyway, after you read my list, maybe you’d like to examine your own appetite for particular words and make out your own personal list. If you do, please feel free to come back here and post a link to your list in the “Comments” section of this article.
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The Happy Wordcrafter 
I’m in touch with a lady named Beatrice from my class in high school , & I’m Catholic so Ecclesiastical comes up a lot. Most of the others, though, are plum outside my life
But you have your own list of words that give you pleasure just to say them. Write out the list and post the link to it. You’ll get more visitors, and those who visit may come across words they haven’t thought about using for a while — or ever.
Yes that’s o.so.totally true. You may remember that a while ago, on a Friday fictioneers entry, I introduced people to the word picaresque. It turns out that lots of people , not having a brazilian credits in literature, haven’t ever heard of it. I can take advantage of all the extra obscure stuff I know
Yes, that’s a very colorful word. It perks up the tongue. And remember, this list has nothing to do with what the words mean particularly. It’s the sound that makes them enjoyable. If I were to choose words whose meanings had strong significance, I wouldn’t choose the same words for my own list.
Some great words Sandra, a couple I dont know.. ‘Halcyon and bombastic’ would be on my list..
Ethereal is one of mine, as is myriad, which made your post but not your list!
I do like that word ‘myriad’ too. Of course, as the name of my blog says, I just really am in love with words. As I was writing this sentence, the thought just popped into my mind: “It’s better to be in love with words than with men, because words treat you better than men.” But then the next thought was this: “Well, that’s because I can control words much better than I can control men.”
Typical that given the challenge I can’t think of any and I know I have loads!
I knew I had them as well, and had been thinking about one in particular — which prompted the writing of the article — but when I came to trying to list the 25, I actually had to sit down and think for a while to get a hold on enough of them at one time to finish the piece. It was also a hindrance when a word came to mind that I knew I loved the meaning of. I wasn’t trying for words that had meaning that was significant — but only for those words that affected the actual pleasure sensors of my tongue and brain at the same time when I spoke them audibly. Maybe if you don’t really try and just keep a pencil handy, they’ll start popping up again and you can jot each one down as it comes.
I know it will come when I stop trying! The tease! You know the other thing I rather like? Names. I’ve had quite a few people with very enjoyably sing song or roll-around-the-tongue names in my WordPress community.
I just met two people — of oriental background — two weeks ago who have absolutely delightful names. I teach creative writing classes at two local junior colleges, and the summer term just started this month, so that’s where I met them. These two young people are totally charming, and I so enjoy saying their names. Hers is Ting-ting (pronounced just like it looks) and His is Hio (as in Ohio.) One thing’s for sure: I’ll never forget their names in class.
Love it! 🙂